The Strangers
by susan friedman
Summary: Story takes place during Season 9 after Laura and Almanzo move into the boarding house. Two strangers arrive in Walnut Grove seeking out the Wilder's boarding house. Featuring Laura and Almanzo. Multi chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

The Strangers

Prologue

From the minute Toby Weaver stepped off the stage, he couldn't believe his eyes. Hands on his hips, he scanned the sleepy pioneer town of Walnut Grove the other and wondered why he was here in the first place.

"Ahem."

Reacting to the sound, Toby smiled; releasing his arms and letting them fall to his side. Shaking his head, he extended his left arm to help his sister, Emma, off the stage. He admired her as she descended from the coach and looked around, the same as he had.

The only difference between them was that she frowned instead of smiled.

"You sure about this?" she asked.

Toby smiled back. "Of course I am, my dear sister," he answered, knowing that it would irritate her further. "We talked about this at length. It was your idea after all."

Emma shook her head. "Yes, and I can't believe you agreed to it." She looked around again. "What do you think you can accomplish?"

Toby smiled. "Well, the first thing we need to accomplish is to find that boarding house we've heard so much about. This is where we need to start."

"Do you think that could be what we're looking for?" Emma pointed to a big house on a small rise.

Toby followed her finger. The house was not that far off; guessing it to be a two or three minute walk from where they were standing at the moment. It was easy enough to spot since it stood alone; not another house could be seen in the surrounding area.

Toby did see something in the distance though. He could make out a woman with a bundle in her hand; it looked as if it was a baby, but he couldn't be sure.

Toby smiled. It was perfect for him, as his sister, especially if that the woman he was looking for, but he wasn't sure now. Didn't she have a husband? He was sure that she…

"Is there something I can help you with?" he heard a voice, a female voice, breaking up his thoughts. "You look lost.''

Toby shook his head to clear it. He turned around to face a pudgy, but handsome middle aged woman. She spoke and held herself well. He wondered if this was Harriet Oleson; part owner of Oleson's Mercantile along with her husband, Nels; whom they had heard so much about.

"I'm actually looking for the Wilder Boardinghouse, madam," Toby answered, smiling. Ï was hoping that you'd be able to point that out?"

The woman looked at Emma and then back to him. "If you and your wife need a place to stay, we have the perfect hotel right over there," she said pointing to her left. "It's right in town and it's so much closer than the boarding house."

"Well," Toby smiled. "Right now I need to know where the boarding house is. I'm looking for a few people, all are very important to me and my sister here. Once I secure that information, I just might consider your offer. May I ask your name, madam?"

Smiling, she gestured to the building in back of her. "As the name on the sign says, I'm Harriet Oleson, part owner of the famous Oleson's Mercantile? Why, I'm sure you've heard of us."

Toby nodded. "Indeed I have, madam," he answered. "Why, the minute that stage rumbled past your mercantile, I believe that was the first time that I've ever seen it in person."

Mrs. Oleson's smile suddenly melted into a slight frown. She wasn't sure what to make of Mr. Weaver's remark.

"Thank you, Mr. Weaver," she said. "Well, if you'd like to register at the hotel, you can…"

"You still haven't answered my brother's question," Emma said, "We need to know where that boarding house is. Then we will decide if we will be staying at your hotel."

"But we are hungry, Mrs. Oleson," Toby added. "Hopefully, the restaurant across the street will provide us with some sustenance. How good of a cook is this "Caroline" person?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"The stage just came in, Jeb," Josephine Talbot told her husband. He wasn't paying attention; he had been reading a well-worn copy of Plato's Republic. He closed the book and turned to look at her.

"Did you see them?" he asked, turning to face her.

Josephine shook her head. "I'm not sure, but there is a couple talking with Mrs. Oleson . They're still there." She pointed as Jeb turned in his seat on the wrap around porch of the boarding house to face the town. His gaze followed her finger, narrowing his eyes so he could get a clearer look.

"You're right, Josie," he said, smiling, turning back to face her. "There are two people speaking to Harriet Oleson. I can't make out who they are, though. "

"We'll find out soon enough, Jedidiah," Josephine said, shivering. "It's getting colder out here, Jeb. I'm heading indoors. Laura should have some nice hot peppermint tea and her wonderful scones waiting for us."

Her husband nodded. "Cool out here for the first week of May. I don't remember it ever being this cool."

He stood up and helped his wife. Together they headed for the door of the boarding house.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Laura Ingalls Wilder looked up from her writing. For once, she had a quiet moment all to herself, which had been very rare these days.

It had become harder and harder for Laura to find time to write in her remembrance books and to keep writing for her column in Sarah Carter's newspaper, the Walnut Grove Gazette. Her articles about farming, women's issues and running a boarding house in the small town was gaining in popularity. Three small town newspapers carried the column now and everyone was buzzing about it. There was even talk of a very prominent paper in St. Paul, the Minnesota Pioneer; picking up the column.

At least that's what Mrs. Oleson was spreading around town. The two strangers, Mr. Weaver and his sister, Emma, had told her as much. They had arrived in town yesterday and had sought out the boarding house, specifically to speak to Mrs. Wilder on that subject.

Laura sighed and shook her head. First things first, she had never heard of Mr. Toby Weaver and his sister nor had they ever visited the boarding house. She had heard of the Talbots, Jeb and his wife, Josie were in town and staying at the boarding house to settle a few things regarding the old Talbot place. This was the house that Almanzo wanted to buy and fix up. It was to be their first home together, as man and wife, but those plans never materialized as someone else had bought the property from the Olesons. Soon after, according to Josie, the property was abandoned and the owners disappearing, taking some of the Talbot's belongings with them.

Secondly, Jeb Talbot was working to establish a publishing company out of his home base of Springfield. He explained that his visit was twofold, of course, there was the investigation, but that Josie had read and raved about Laura's column to him. She suggested that they travel to Walnut Grove to speak to her personally and ask if she was interested in contributing some of her stories from her remembrance books and adding to that, a few of her columns from the Gazette. The Talbots were very interested in producing such a book, but they would need a fee from her to do so as this was a new venture. They did not disclose the amount of the fee, but told her it would be worthwhile as they were confident that this book would, no doubt, be a bestseller.

Josie had assured Laura that they wouldn't change a word of her manuscript.

Laura and Almanzo talked it over, but they still hadn't given the Talbots their answer quite yet. They didn't have the money, but they did not want to rule out the possibility of having Laura's very own book published.

Laura shook her head to clear it; then resumed the task at hand. She had devoted an hour and half of writing time each night to contribute to the column in the Gazette. It had gone from a weekly column to an everyday exercise now and was starting to eat into her busy schedule. Almanzo was helping out more and more with Rose, who had just turned three and half years old.

"Beth," she heard Almanzo's excited voice as he burst into the kitchen of their living quarters. They had taken over the entire downstairs area, which included a small kitchen, living room, a dining room and two guest bedrooms.

Laura looked up for the second time as Almanzo bounded into the living room, the current issue of the Gazette in his hand. She frowned as she stood up to meet him.

"Beth, look at this article in the Gazette. It talks all about Missouri and how fertile the land is there. And it's much milder there then it is here. It would be perfect for us."

She took the paper from his hand and scanned it. She looked up. "Did Mr. Talbot tell you about this?"

Almanzo lost the smile and nodded. "Yes, he did. He also told Sarah about it. She was so excited she included in the paper. "

He frowned at her and shook his head. "Why'd you ask?"

Laura stared at the article and looked up. "It's funny that you mentioned it. That's all Mrs. Talbot talks about. She brings it up every chance she gets." She looked back at the paper. "She thinks that you're very unhappy here. She says that Mr. Talbot has a deed out there that he wants to sell."

Almanzo nodded. "He told me the same thing."

Laura resumed her seat at the kitchen table. She placed the paper on top of her books and stared at the article. Then she looked up. "Did you say anything to him? Did you tell him you'd rather be a farmer than run a boardinghouse?" She pushed the paper toward him. "Are you really unhappy, Manly?"

Almanzo sighed and sat down next to her. "I might have mentioned it once or twice." He took her hand in his. "You know that I've always wanted to be a farmer. " He sighed. "I don't mind you running the boardinghouse. What I mean, Beth, well, I love to work with my hands. I love to build things; to put things together. And believe me, it's a change of pace and I'm enjoying it. I'm grateful that Mae left us this house. We've been there for her. And that's a good thing."

He looked into Laura's eyes. "But sometimes I miss not plowing the fields, feeding the livestock, breaking the horses or tending the soil and watching the crops grow." Almanzo shook his head. "Mr. Talbot has been very insistent. He wants the money and is anxious to give me the deed. But I won't do it, Beth. Not if it hurts you. I will not move anywhere unless you want to."

Laura smiled and grabbed at the paper again. "Maybe we can do it, Manly. Maybe one day. I can see a farm, a prosperous farm where we will finally be successful. I see a white house on the land that we built ourselves. I know we will be happy. Don't give up. Right now, I love running this place, meeting people and talking with them."

"And to tell you the truth, I don't trust the Talbots. "

Almanzo smiled. "You know something, Beth? I don't either. I don't know him well enough to trust him."

"Same here," she answered.

"What about your writing?"

Laura was about to answer when she heard a knock at the door. She was wondering who would come to the door this late in the evening. She walked over to the door, opened it and found herself face to face with someone she'd never seen before.

"Can we help you?" Almanzo asked, standing in back of her.

"I'm looking for Mrs. Laura Wilder," the man answered. "Is she here?"

At the same moment, Mrs. Talbot walked into the room. "Laura?" she called. "Are you…"'

She stopped as she stared at the face in the doorway. He was talking to Laura and Almanzo. Josie frowned, backed away and prayed that the man at the door had not seen her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"Em, I'm back, "Toby said, closing the door on their small room at the Oleson's hotel. It was actually two rooms connected to one another, Mrs. Oleson had told them when he accepted it. Emma was not very happy calling the two rooms "the tiniest she'd ever stayed in" even with the connecting door open all the time. Toby argued with her that it was dangerous and that they could be recognized, but Emma disagreed, saying that the open door gives her the illusion of a much bigger room.

So the door remained open.

"Emmaline?" he called again. It was then he noticed the connecting door was closed and from the inside of her room, he heard the muffled sounds of laughter.

Toby frowned as he walked over the door and shook the doorknob. It was locked; just as he assumed. This wasn't the first time his sister had played this game.

"I know what you're up to, Emmaline Weaver," he called out. "And it has to stop now. You're putting us both in jeopardy with your antics."

At first, there was silence. Toby again heard the giggling and the whispering; then the sound of a door opening and closing.

He recognized her footsteps as she walked back to the connecting room door and released the lock. Toby stood there until Emma opened the door and when she did, she was looking straight at her with disapproval in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Will," she said looking at him, a smile still on her lips. "He was just…"

Toby was furious. "Watch the names, Em. It's Toby this time around and you have to remember that. You've got to be more careful here. Walnut Grove is a small town where everyone knows everyone else. We cannot blow this one. You're already drawing suspicion, especially Mrs. Oleson. This is our last chance. And I'm determined to do what we agreed to."

Emma nodded, finally losing her smile. She sighed as she walked into his half of the room. "Did you discover anything?"

Toby nodded. "Yes, I did. We were right, Em. The Talbots, which seems to be what they're calling themselves, have the deed and who knows what else they've gotten a hold of."

He moved to the bed, signaling to his sister that he was tired. "It's seems that they've convinced the Wilders, along with a former guest at the boarding house, that the Land of the Big Red Apple is the answer to all their prayers."

Emma shook her head. "Just as we were when we found out that Father had left us..."

"Quiet, Em. We'll get that deed back. That's our job after all. It's been entrusted to us to get into the right hands. They've gotten away with too much and the office is depending on us. We are the only ones who can pull this off."

Emma smiled at the use of her real name. "I thought you said to be careful."

Toby nodded and smiled. "Sorry Emma, you're right. We have to remember to hide who we really are and who we are working for. I can't impress that upon you anymore than I have already."

He got off the bed and walked to the small window that faced the center of town.

"And you have to be careful who you get to know while we're here," he said, all the while staring out the window. "You made the same mistake in other places we've been. We've got to be as confidential as we can be."

Emma frowned. "What's wrong, William?" she said, letting his real name slip through her tongue. "You're still my brother. You know I can always tell."

It was true; even when they were children. The two were inseparable, even though she was younger than he was. He nicknamed her Rebel because that what she was. It fit so much better than her given name, Rebecca. It was her, after all, who recommended him for this job. This was exactly why he had to do well.

Toby finally turned and smiled. "I'm just tired and a little nervous, Bel. Go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. I think we're getting close."

Emma shook her head again, but smiled softly. "Okay, my brother." She walked over and kissed him on the forehead, as she had done all her life. With that she turned and headed toward the door, opened it and disappeared into her adjoining room.

It wasn't until he closed it that Toby turned his attention toward the window. Walnut Grove was very quiet, nearly deserted. He smiled. He was told that they roll in the streets at 8. It was a farm town after all. Tomorrow morning things would be back to normal; the town awake and bustling with people. But his attention shifted from the town as he looked into the distance toward the only thing that interested him right at this moment. He had told Emma to be careful, but he wasn't sure if he could keep his feelings in check. Right now, he couldn't keep his mind off the boardinghouse; especially one woman.

And that woman was Laura Ingalls Wilder.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Josephine Talbot was angry. She stormed out of the Mercantile without looking back. If she had, she would've seen Mrs. Oleson behind her, hands on hips, watching her every move. She managed to ignore the stares as she headed straight for Jeb's buggy.

"Everything alright, Jo?" he asked, watching her as she sat down in her seat; a scowl on her face.

She didn't answer, just turned in her seat and stared daggers at him, heat escaping from her cheeks. Again, she turned the other way, this time in back of her. Yes, Mrs. Oleson was still there, staring at the buggy, now surrounded by some of the townspeople. They, too, were staring at the buggy.

"We have to leave now, Eli," she said, turning to face him as Jeb clicked his tongue to get the horse moving. "We can't do this anymore. She knows we aren't who we say we are."

Jeb closed his eyes for a second, opened them and shook his head. He looked around. "We can't talk about this now, Sara and we can't talk about this in the middle of town. You know why we're here and you know what we have to do." He looked around and stopped the buggy deep inside the woods. They were far enough away from town.

"You know we need the money, Sara. I've told you before that we need to pull this off. We owe too much. If we don't get it right this time, we are done for."

He looked into her eyes and lifted her chin. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "For the first time, Eli, I'm frightened. I don't think I can do this anymore. We've had a good run. I think it's time we bowed out. Some else can take over, someone younger. And besides that, you promised me."

Jeb looked back at her. He reached out to stroke her cheek and smiled at her. "Yes, I did, Sara. And I meant it; this will be the last time."

Josephine took his hand in hers and brought it down. "How many times have I heard that, Elijah?" she whispered. "We aren't as quick as we used to be. One day, we will be recognized, despite all our different names and disguises. I'm tired of running. It has to stop, Eli."

Jeb put his finger to her lips. "Quiet now, Sara. I promise this will be the last time. We are almost done here. It won't take long. Once we get the money, we can do all the things we've dreamed about doing. Now let's get out of here before we're discovered."

He looked into her eyes and placed his hand under her chin. "Is that okay with you?"

Josephine nodded her head and smiled. She looked into his eyes. "I trust you, Jebidiah Talbot," she said

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, that should do it, Almanzo," Mr. Edwards said patting him on the back. "Now you can concentrate on the boarding house."

Almanzo nodded. "Yep, Isaiah, I've got to tighten a door knob in the Talbot's room, among other things. But that door knob is a priority. Mrs. Talbot's has been complaining about it since the two of them arrived."

Mr. Edwards smiled. "They haven't been here that long at all, have they?"

Almanzo shrugged. "They've been here for a week now. They claim to be, well, Jebidiah at least, part of the immediate family. He's the youngest of Thad Talbot's six children. And he has proof that he is."

"Funny about that," Mr. Edwards said, "The way Nels Oleson tells it, Jebidiah Talbot was the black sheep of the family. He got mixed up with the wrong crowd while working in his family's clothing store in Mankato. When he was caught stealing money, his father disowned him and kicked him out. No one ever heard from him again. Now he turns up all these years claiming that he was cheated out of his share of the inheritance."

Almanzo nodded. "When I wanted to buy the place, Nels told me that that the deed to the house was turned over to him by the last remaining son in the family, Thaddeus Jr. The house had been abandoned years before Sis and I moved to Walnut Grove. No one knew the real story, maybe Nels does, but if he does, he's never told me a thing. All he told me was that I would have to fix up the place before he'd hand the deed over to me, especially since I didn't have the money for a down payment. That was the deal we agreed on."

Mr. Edwards shook his head and was about to answer when the two heard laughter from a crowd gathered in front of the Mercantile.

Almanzo and Mr. Edwards looked at one another and headed over to join them.

XXXXXXXXX

Toby Weaver once again stared at the boarding house. He was standing in front of it now, putting off going inside. Why was he there again? To explain things? To tell them the truth? Could he do that?

There was so much to tell, so much to explain.

He had only met her last night, but it was different. He had met other women in his life, but Laura had an impact on him like no other woman he'd ever met before. But she was married and with a baby daughter to boot. They lived in two different worlds and he could never expect her to leave everything she loved to run off with him.

But there were secrets he had to keep, for now anyway. When all this was over, he planned to explain to the Wilders what this was all about, why he was here in the first place.

He shook his head. He wasn't sure how long he could keep those secrets. He wanted to sit down and explain everything, maybe even get their help, but he couldn't do it. Not yet. For now, he was to stay who he was.

He had left his sister in her room at the hotel, to get ready to help Mrs. Oleson work the phone lines and help in the store. It was one way to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the townspeople, looking for two people in particular, a couple who were posing as the Talbots this time around. Emma had heard from Mrs. Oleson that they were staying at the boarding house. She had mentioned it in passing; Emma hadn't even brought them up. And that was a plus.

That was the real reason he had gone there, to catch a glimpse of them. Toby and Emma had seen the sketches and had a rough idea of who they were looking for. So while Emma stayed in town, he had come out here to follow up. But he wasn't sure how to explain this to Laura.

"Mr. Weaver?" he heard a woman calling his name. When he looked up, there she was standing on the porch. Her smile was dazzling.

And so was everything else about her.

"Can I help you with anything? I know you mentioned you'd be back."

Toby smiled. He hadn't remembered telling her that.

"You're probably busy right now, Mrs. Wilder. I can come back later on when the both of you are free."

"Don't be silly," Laura said. "Manly should be home soon and Rose is taking a nap. I could make some coffee or tea and we can talk. Come on in."

And so Toby Weaver followed her inside, still unsure of what to talk about.


End file.
